4/17/12

Lights out for 75 hrs...

It's been three days.... 75 and a half hours to be exact. Or close to exact. Funny how dependent I am on my cell phone for time and now knowing it hasn't gotten a signal in 3 days I don't trust it to be right but I don't trust the battery run clock that I never use. Of course I suppose if they haven't lifted the travel emergency by tomorrow it won't matter what time it is anyway since I can't get to work. I did sneak out for a little bit earlier today. the benefit of living on the county line. The next county over doesn't seem to be restricting travel like my country. Anyway, I took the old blue truck up to the truck stop to see if I could fill my gas cans and put some in the bed tank so I can keep running my generator until whatever this is passes. It wasn't until I got up there that I brilliantly realized that I rarely carry cash and no ATMS or pay at the pumps would be working with the banks without power. Thankfully the little service station around the corner from the truck stop still had fuel to sell me and since they knew me were willing to take a check for fuel. I also was able to get a diet coke there.... ahhh it was so wonderful. I started on the windmill today. I actually did fairly well with my son and his friends helping. I just hope that not have cement to anchor it with won't be too big a deal since I couldn't find a hardware store open. I went ahead and took several pounds of hamburger out of the freezer from the cow we had butchered this fall. I cooked it up for the boys as payment for helping. They all seemed grateful to have a big meal. Thank goodness for the firepit so I could cook several burgers at once. Now to see if I can get the connections on the windmill with the supplies I have on hand. Then I won't have to wait for sun to have electricity at the pond house. I did run the generator extra long today. We had to have some laundry done and I wasn't sure I would have time for it to line dry if I hand washed. Although if this happens again at least I know that the wash board I had hanging on the wall of my laundry room for decoration works for functional use. The neighbor came back today and wanted to charge some rechargable batteries. Again, something inside me said don't get this started but I had no real reason to be selfish so I obliged him. Although without sun yesterday and if I recall the forecast I saw Thursday correctly it is supposed to rain again tomorrow I am not sure I had the power to spare. I think I will tell him no if this situation continues and he comes back again. He also mentioned that he told some one in town that I have solar power out here.... Why would he do that? I can see that if this whole thing kept up for too long this would be a problem. I mean really, how long can it go on before they do something about it? While I was up at the main house I tried the satellite TV, nothing. I tried to use just the Antennae and I only found one station. All it was was a recorded message playing about this being a temporary situation, the powers that be are working to resolve the issue, please remain calm and stay off the roads. Just that over and over again... yeah that's the way to keep people calm, tell them to be. Yeah, right. I did get the laptop fully charged so I think I will watch a movie tonight just to break the monotony for me and my son. If nothing else I guess this is giving everyone time to clean up their yards and I saw a lot of rugs being shook today. Maybe we will look back on it like it was a nice break from the rush rush rush that our lives usually are. Then again, my gut says this isn't as temporary as they say. Why aren't they letting us move about freely? Why isn't the Sheriff going house to house to reassure us? If this is a power problem why haven't I seen the utility trucks out? I know where the weak point is in our local grid. They haven't even tried to open 8th St where it always fails. I am going to sort thru this box of leftover wiring to find what I need to finish the windmill and watch a movie with the boy. Hopefully that will distract the doom and gloom thoughts.